“. . . according to the Yoga Sutra (3.1), the term [Bandha] refers to the ‘binding’ of consciousness to a particular object or locus (desha), which is the very essence of concentration.”Georg Feuerstein

Connect Your Cuff to Your Core in Forearm Plank

Update on Forearm Plank:

One of my goals in reviewing the scientific literature is to identify information that can be translated into a practical cues that you can integrate into your practice. With this in mind, I want to call your attention to a new study from the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

The investigators showed that drawing the shoulder blades (scapulae) towards the midline (adducting) and tilting the pelvis back and down (retroverting) resulted in greater activation of the rectus abdominis, external oblique, internal oblique and erector spinae muscles.

Figure 1 shows you the muscles involved in this cue. Engage your rhomboids and middle trapezius to draw your shoulder blades towards the midline. At the same time, engage your glutes and rectus abdominis to retrovert the pelvis. Take a look below at how this fits in with the other cues for forearm plank that I describe below on connecting your cuff to your core!

Scientific studies have demonstrated that having a strong core can improve the efficiency of your rotator cuff. A strong and efficient rotator cuff leads to improved stability of your shoulder girdle. This decreases load transfer to your wrists in poses where you bear weight on the hands (like arm balances, Dog Pose and Chaturanga).

Conversely, if your core is weak, or you don’t properly engage it in these types of poses, your cuff is less efficient and your wrists have to bear more of the load. Practicing with imbalances of this nature can lead to a cycle that reinforces the imbalance and, ultimately, injury to the wrist (and shoulders).

The Sanskrit term “Ahimsa” means nonviolence or reducing harm (translation from Nicolai Bachman’s book “The Language of Yoga”). While this term is often used in relation to social ethics, it also applies to how we work with the body.

Reducing the risk of harm to your wrists (and other joints) can include decreasing the frequency and duration of poses that load the wrists and correcting imbalances in the postures. If you have developed wrist pain, you should consult a trained medical professional and work under their guidance. Managing wrist pain almost always includes a period of time off and resting from weight bearing poses, usually combined with some light wrist mobility exercises.

In the interim, I’ve found that Hard Style Plank Pose is a great pose to work on. That’s because it’s awesome for strengthening the core and addressing the underlying imbalance and it doesn’t involve weight bearing on the wrist. Figure 1 illustrates this pose.

In Hard Style Plank, your weight is on your forearms, with the upper arm bones (the humerus) perpendicular to the floor (in Chaturanga, they are parallel to the floor). Clench your fists to strengthen the muscles that cross the wrists. Then press your forearms into the mat and gently attempt to internally rotate the shoulders. Your forearms are fixed on the mat and don’t actually move. Next, co-contract the external rotators of your shoulders by attempting to externally rotate them. The cue for this is to pretend that your forearms are like windshield wipers that are fixed in place. This co-contracts the subscapularis, infraspinatus and teres minor muscles of the cuff and connects them to your core. Finally, engage the lats and attempt to drag the forearms towards the feet while, at the same time, contracting your abs and gluts. Hold for five to ten seconds and repeat two times. Remember to breathe!Figure 1 above illustrates the muscles involved here, with color-coding according to the strength of your engagement. Check out the posterior oblique subsystem of the lats, thoraco-lumbar fascia and gluts. Engaging this connection helps stabilize the SI joint. Click here for info and illustrations of side forearm plank and the another myofascial subsystem. Click here and here for more on the gluts and abs connection and the lumbar spine in Chaturanga.

As an aside, soaking your wrists in ice water between sessions of injuring them is a lousy solution; it doesn’t address the underlying imbalances and can lead to more injury. You have to dedicate time off from weight bearing to let your wrists heal, not to the “practice” of injuring them.

Thanks for stopping by--I hope you're enjoying learning about biomechanical concepts like the force couple. Stay tuned for the next post when I'll go over the hamstring connection to the pelvis and lumbar. Click here to browse through the Bandha Yoga book series on anatomy, biomechanics and physiology for yoga.

31 comments:

Thanks for this post and posture. I find as asenior, to do this posture, I need to be aware of my bone density. Usually vegetarians have this problem of low bone density. While even supplements are taken, bone density limitations should be understood while doing these postures. Gradual is better than wanting to do perfect. This is not frightening but just cautioning from undesired bone fractures. Shared in common interest

On the other hand, the use of the body as weight brings gravity into play, as we need movement and weight on our body from gravity to support healthy osteogenesis, the growth of new bone cells and tissues.

Thanks for this Ray. I am particularly mobile in my shoulder girdle so this is the sort of thing I really need to focus on - however, I'm having difficulty with your shoulder internal rotation cueing (my shoulder proprioception is equally duff!). Do you mean squeezing your shoulder blades together (contracting rhomboids)? The diagrams don't seem to show that though, so I'm confused... Or taking the inferior lateral scapular angle towards the midline - that sounds closer to it...? 'Pulling your armpits down' is the cue which works for me to engage lats.

A cue my teacher uses is, draw your shoulder blades down toward your waist, which creates space between the ears and shoulders, rather than squeezing the rhomboids together. I don't know if that's what he is implying here (I have very limited anatomy knowledge) but I hope it helps the visualisation.

I can't speak for Ray Long, but my understanding his "internally" rotating the shoulders would involve elbows trying to drag apart from each other (against mat resistance, without actually moving)... squeezing shoulder blades together would be an external rotation...

precise and efficient explanation, thanks also for translating some of the action into actual cues, sometimes it is difficult to put into words what we mean in our heads...at least for a non native english speaker teaching in english ;O) love your posts !!!

" Then press your forearms into the mat and gently attempt to internally rotate the shoulders. Your forearms are fixed on the mat and don’t actually move. Next, co-contract the external rotators of your shoulders by attempting to externally rotate them."These instructions leave me completely confused. Could you please try another way of explaining these actions?

Hi Nancy,Thanks for stopping by. If you imagine your forearms on the mat to be like windshield wipers, with the pivot or base at the elbows, then try to rotate them inward, while at the same time resisting and trying to rotate them outward. Your arms won't move, but you should feel increased stability in your shoulders. Try it a few times to get it--it takes a bit of practice. Ray

The same bit confused me too. I get the windscreen wipers bit, but your follow up explanation... "try to rotate [your forearms] inward, while at the same time resisting and trying to rotate them outward" ...doesn't really clarify it – sounds like I'm supposed to try to rotate them simultaneously in and out. It's akin to telling someone to sit down and stand up at the same time (?)

Thanks for all the usefull info and pictures. Just a little question how long the Hard Plank pose should be keep in order to be efficient for the core strenghening, I mean 10 breaths or 5 minutes and do we have to repeat it several times? thanks valeria

My shoulders burn out before my core. Is this because my shoulders need to strengthen?

I'm careful to stack shoulders over elbows, tucking tailbone, pulling fist together and elbows out (windshield wiper), pulling toes forward and elbows back, glutes engaged. I'm trying to "round" my scapula, "like an ice cream scoop from my chest, because I was told to do that in PT, also echoed by some very good yoga teachers (at least my interpretation of their suggestions).

I've had atrophied T3s in my recent history (treated summer 2015) hence the PT of planks.

So thankful for all your info, Bhandayoga! The icing on the cake would be recommendations for practice following total hip replacement - in particular posterior approach surgery as a result of trauma not wear & tear. Lifelong precautions recommended by consultants preclude most yoga asanas. But, hey! What do they know about yoga??? Ray???

Hello Ray, i am taught that i should lift up through the chest. Seperate shoulderblades and not let them sink in to eachother. And that is only there you build strength for armbalances and handstands. So you say the best way let the shoulderblades come together? What do you think about the way i been tought? Best nicklas

Hold as long as comfortable . Work slowly to build up duration. Do wrist exercises as well. Honor your body...that is what I was taught and it made sense. I slowly learned to ease up on myself without loosing the drive to do my best.

I am hoping you will answer this post, as I see from above that you very rarely respond. I agree with most that the 'windshield wiper' analogy is difficult. Possibly you could explain in another way, very lay person oriented. Secondly, I also have been trained to not pull the scapula toward the spine, or to pull them towards the butt, nor to tuck the butt but to keep the pelvis in neutral, move the femurs into the pelvis, lengthen the lower leg to the feet, exnternally rotate upper arm bone, and, bears repeating, keep the scapular wide and moving into the body to engage pectoralis minor. Your instructions are totally the opposite. I am confused. And to boot, to access the article you reference I would need to join The Journal of Strength and Conditioning at a cost of several hundred dollars. Thanks for helping us understand your intention and direction. Misunderstanding can lead to harm.

I Love and enjoy these posts, why not make them shorter and more often, as this will introduce more people to your great and subtle work with yoga, by the way i have most of your books purchased and on my computer. thanks for your detailed work it helps so very much.

Your posts always come right on time for my classes as a yogini and yoga teacher. Thank you!My question is if it would ok to do this cues in steps, starting with the knees on the floor. After getting the shoulders and forearms cues, lifting the knees from the floor and finish putting all cues together.Thank you

Thank you Ray for all you do! I will use your instructions in class as i walk around checking alignment. You have actually made it much clearer for me to teach Forearm Plank. A question: In the 1st ilistration, would i be able to cue that this is like a gentle pelvic tilt? Patricia in Roanoke VA

Disclaimer

Always, in your particular case, consult your health care provider and obtain full medical clearance before practicing yoga or any other exercise program. Yoga must always be practiced under the direct supervision of a qualified instructor. Practicing under the direct supervision and guidance of a qualified instructor may reduce the risk of injuries. Not all yoga poses are suitable for all persons. Practicing under the direct supervision and guidance of a qualified instructor, in addition to the direction of your health care provider, can also help determine what poses are suitable for your particular case. The information provided in this blog, website, books, and other materials is strictly for reference only and is not in any manner a substitute for medical advice or direct guidance of a qualified yoga instructor. The author, illustrators, editors, publishers and distributors assume no responsibility or liability for any injuries or losses that may result from practicing yoga or any other exercise program. The author, editors, illustrators, publishers and distributors all make no representations or warranties with regards to the completeness or accuracy of information on this website, any linked websites, books, DVDs, or other products represented herein.